Discussion

Antoine's Update?

I can't help it. Four years after swearing off Antoine's for good after one of the worst restaurant experiences of my life, curiosity is killing me. Has anything improved? I keep waiting for the day that I hear that Antoine's is back.

The last time I was there, the quality of the food was far from outstanding but on the other hand the evening was magical. We had good, strong bourbon cocktails and we ordered things that are just about fool-proof; souflee potatoes, oysters foch, crabmeat maison, some fresh fish and baked alaska. It was very good and if you stick to the really traditional items, I don't think you will be disappointed. The only drawback to me is the hefty bill! Not cheap.

My last visit (pre-K) was so bad I don't know if I'll ever go again. I did stick to the "safe" stuff, but even those choices were tired, ill-prepared, and generally of poor quality. I don't know if it's the sort of place that serves better food to the die-hard regulars or not, but I can't find anything to love about borderline bad food at those prices.

I have been to Antoine's five times since it reopened. The food and service has been excellent each time. Admittedly, two of those were special occasions (Fridays before Mardi Gras and Christmas), but I could discern no qualitative difference with the other, less festive occasions. I too stuck to the standbys, which is not hard to do give the more truincated menu. I will also be there this Friday for lunch, having never had a French 75.

I also had the worst hangover of my life after drinking champagne cocktails at Jack's in San Francisco (they consist of champagne and brandy). I definitely think you shouldn't mix champagne with anything else

All pre-Katrina, so you have to fill in the blanks. Antoine's was good, but had lost most of its previous luster. Galatoire's was much better. That said, we were glad that we did the Grand Tour, when we did, as Katrina hit a few months later and much was changed forever.